Konoha Notes

Chapter 331 The Aftertaste
Completely powerless and without any expectation of repercussions, they failed just like that.

The only contact occurred when Gaara attacked.

Sasuke still has ninjutsu he hasn't used. He knows the Great Fireball Technique, which he learned in his first year, but he has never shown it off.

Because his benchmark is Itachi.

"Let's go, Gaara, Naruto."

The man didn't comment on himself, but skipped over it, and simply left with his people.

and many more!

Sasuke wanted to shout it out.

I can fight again; I haven't used my full strength yet.

But Shuji's hand was already on Naruto's shoulder, Gaara walked to his side, and the two of them simultaneously used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the playground.

In Sasuke's black pupils, all that remained was the sand that fell behind Gaara after he used Sand Shun.

Gaara... In addition to the protection of sand, he also knows the Body Flicker Technique.

The girl with cherry blossom hair jogged over to Sasuke, crouched down, and reached out her hand as if to help him, but then hesitated, her hand hovering in mid-air. She said urgently, "Sasuke-kun only used taijutsu, but Gaara, no matter what, used ninjutsu, so..."

Sasuke flung the girl's hand away. He didn't need that kind of comfort; such an explanation hurt his dignity even more than ridicule.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura Haruno tried to get closer, but all she got in return was a pair of cold eyes.

Ino quickly walked to Sakura's side and shielded her behind her, saying, "Sasuke-kun, Gaara's situation is special. Shuji-sama said that it's Sand's automatic defense..."

Sasuke didn't want to listen either; he simply steadied himself and walked away to the side.

Karin looked away from where Shuji had left, and as she watched Sasuke walk away, she flew into a rage: "You arrogant brat, what do you take other people's concern for?!"

Sasuke turned around: "Do you think you can boss me around just because you've successfully ambushed me twice?"

"Karin, forget it!" Ino quickly grabbed her arm.

"Karin, calm down!" Sakura, disregarding her own grievances, quickly stood in front of Karin along with Ino.

Shion, who had been quietly observing, also approached silently and whispered to Karin, "If we argue now, Iruka-sensei will be in a difficult position."

Iruka watched this unfold, a throbbing pain shooting through his temples. He didn't criticize Sasuke, but simply forced a smile: "Alright, alright! The sparring session is over! Everyone, gather around, let's continue with the next part of our training!"

Iruka found the subsequent lessons dull, and the students were not paying attention.

At the end, Sasuke disappeared early on.
-
Instead of going home, he went to the woods near the Naka River, a place where he used to train with Itachi.

Sasuke trained alone, practicing ninja tools, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. In each practice session, he reflected on his failures.

Sasuke slid to the ground against a large tree until his muscles protested and his chakra was almost depleted.

I'm too weak.

He looked up, peering through the sparse branches at the dark blue night sky.

Immersed in the environment of the ninja academy, learning those meaningless courses.

By this time, my brother had already graduated and even completed an S-level mission.

"Sasuke."

In the dark forest, the figure of a weasel emerged.

Sasuke lowered his head and looked at his brother under the starlight.

"Mom, dinner is ready."

“I’m not hungry,” Sasuke replied.

Itachi walked over to his side, squatted down, and glanced at his younger brother's clothes, which were covered in dust and sweat, as well as the small scratches and bruises on his exposed arms and the backs of his hands.

He took out a bamboo water bottle and a small box of ointment from his ninja tool pouch at his waist. He unscrewed the stopper, poured out some water to wet a clean cloth he carried with him, and began to carefully wipe the dirt and sweat off Sasuke's arm before applying the ointment.

"Brother, I want to become stronger."

"it is good."

"..." Sasuke looked at Itachi, who was carefully tending to his injuries. "Brother, are you just trying to appease me?" "Senpai has already given me a leave of absence."

Sasuke clenched his fist: "What did that person say again?"

"He's making fun of me again, isn't he?"

Every single time. Every time he embarrassed himself, every single time he failed, his brother would find out.

"You wouldn't do that, senior."

"My brother is the one who knows absolutely nothing!" Sasuke's voice suddenly rose. "You have no idea what he said to Father!"

Sasuke remembered clearly the undisguised harshness and the almost contemptuous attitude in Shuuji's tone when he discussed village affairs with his father.

Itachi looked up and smiled at his younger brother.

Sasuke felt frustrated; his brother always acted this way whenever that person was mentioned.

"Let's go home for dinner, Mom is worried." Itachi carried his younger brother on his back.

He kept quiet and tacitly accepted it.

After being carried home, Sasuke expected to face his father's questioning or scrutiny. But to his surprise, Fugaku only glanced at him as he entered, said nothing, and continued looking at the scroll in his hands. His mother, Mikoto, didn't ask why he was late either. She simply stepped forward and carefully examined the wounds on his body that Itachi had treated, her eyes full of heartache, but she also remained silent.

This silent tolerance made Sasuke feel extremely uneasy. Dinner passed in an almost stagnant silence, with only the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks. He ate without tasting anything, hastily shoveling down a few mouthfuls of rice before getting up to escape back to his room.

“Sasuke,” Itachi called out to him, his voice calm, “I’ll take you to see your senior.”

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, turned around abruptly, and a look of surprise and resistance flashed in his eyes, which were then replaced by a stronger sense of unwillingness and a faint hint of anticipation.
-
Sasuke has never been to the Hokage's office.

It looked no different from the teachers' offices, except that there were more documents.

"Senior." Itachi's attitude was more respectful than Sasuke had ever seen before; he even nodded slightly. "I brought Sasuke with me."

Then Itachi left the Hokage's office.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the scratching of pens on paper. Sasuke stood stiffly in front of the large desk, watching the man smoothly review documents, occasionally getting up to walk to the larger desk next to him, which clearly belonged to the Hokage, to retrieve or place files, his manner as natural as if it were his own seat.

"If you don't mind, please sit over there." The man pointed to the sofa next to him.

Sasuke did not move.

"It seems like you haven't gotten over your frustration yet."

"Your personality is actually not like that of an Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he remained silent.

“Gaara is the next generation of Sunagakure, and the most likely person to become Kazekage,” Shuuji said.

"You were eavesdropping when I was talking to Fugaku, weren't you?"

"I do have some expectations that you will become Hokage."

These words, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirred up violent ripples in Sasuke's heart.

So... that's why I was so disappointed by the failure this afternoon?

That's why my father was silent, and why my mother was so worried... Is it because I disappointed everyone and let them down...?
“My brother…he…”

“Itachi, well, it’s an option, I suppose,” Shuuji said. “But it’s not necessarily true. Perhaps you’re the better choice for Itachi.”

"One failure is insignificant; rather, it's pointless to dwell on it too much."

"Naruto will participate in Gaara's training; this is the result of his own request."

"As for you..."

Sasuke took a deep, deep breath, as if trying to expel all the resentment and frustration from his chest. He raised his head, his dark eyes staring directly at Shuuji.

"Please let me participate as well."

"I will use my strength to restore the reputation of the Uchiha clan."

We will also reclaim the opportunities and glory that rightfully belong to us.

(End of this chapter)